A few months ago, in the month of November, the Indian skipper Virat Kohli requested the Committee of Administrators to assign rest to the top Indian bowlers from the IPL, so that they will be fresh for the 2019 ICC World Cup. Kohli wanted that the bowlers should not be tired or injured which would hamper them from giving their best during the quadrennial tournament.
After that Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former Indian captain has shared his views about the issue with the media. He looks at the issue from an angle that is quite contrary to what Kohli had suggested.
From his statements to the press, he thinks that it will be best if the if the players participate in the IPL. He is of the opinion that bowling four overs a day when the bowlers have a break of three days or more between matches will not render them tired. Though chances of injury are there, that can happen even when the players practice in the nets, he opines. What is important, he feels, is that the players have to maintain their proper fitness schedules and their diets.
Rohit Sharma too had something to say when the COA (Committee of Administrators) met. He thinks that it is unfair to restrain the bowlers from taking part in the IPL. Not only have the franchises spent a lot of money in these cricketers but many of them have come to play for India because they played in the IPL.
It is Interesting that a senior executive of the BCCI also does not think on the same lines as does Virat Kohli. He says that if the BCCI has to restrict the bowlers from participating in the IPL the batsmen and the wicketkeepers should also be prevented also. Any player can get injured as has been seen in the recent injury to Prithvi Shaw in a practice match in Australia. While fielding at that!
I too feel that restricting a particular player or a class of players from playing in such championship tournaments is neither practical nor feasible. For one, the players have to look at their earnings with whatever wages they playing. On the other hand, the franchises, over the years, have taken a lot of risks and invested their money on them while they honed their skills and came to the notice of the National selectors.
Why then should the players and the franchises sacrifice their interest because their national team captain or the national board thinks otherwise? What do players get when they have to play for their country and get injured, rendering them unable to play for the franchises. That is why I think that Dhoni’s opinion is the best.
There is no better practice for a sportsman than to play under the competitive match conditions. Players cannot hone their skills practising in the nets. There is a big difference between practicing and competing in the arena and I think the BCCI and Virat Kohli should let individual players decide for themselves on where they want to play. There is most likely to be at least three weeks gap between when the IPL culminates and the ICC World Cup begins at the end of May 2019. Players who are keen to represent their country in the esteemed tournament should be left to take care of their health.
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